Obesity and Diabetes Raise Risk of Liver Cancer Recurrence After Surgery

Obesity and diabetes increase the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma recurrence after surgery, highlighting the importance of managing these conditions for better outcomes.

Hepatocellular carcinoma, a form of liver cancer linked to hepatitis infections, has a high likelihood of recurring after tumor removal. While advancements in antiviral treatments have decreased the number of affected patients, obesity and diabetes continue to contribute to its prevalence. However, the impact of these factors on survival rates and cancer recurrence remains uncertain().

Obesity and Diabetes: Key Factors in Liver Cancer Recurrence

To better understand this issue, Dr. Hiroji Shinkawa and his research team at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Medicine examined the connection between diabetes, obesity, and postoperative outcomes in 1,644 hepatocellular carcinoma patients who had undergone liver resection.

Liver Cancer
Liver or hepatic cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the liver. The leading cause of the disease is cirrhosis or scarring of the liver tissue.

‘Obesity increases liver cancer recurrence risk by 3.8 times after five years. #obesity #livercancer #medindia ’

The results revealed that the risk of recurrence after two years postoperatively was approximately 1.5 times higher in the case of comorbid obesity and 1.3 times higher in the case of diabetes mellitus. In addition, the risk of recurrence after five years postoperatively was 3.8 times higher in the case of comorbid obesity and 2 times higher in the case of comorbid diabetes alone.

“This study is expected to contribute to the early detection of cancer recurrence and the design of appropriate treatment strategies,” stated Dr. Shinkawa. “Because the risk of late recurrence is higher in hepatocellular carcinoma with comorbid obesity and diabetes, controlling obesity and diabetes is an important treatment strategy for hepatocellular carcinoma.”

Reference:

Impact of Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity Comorbidities on Survival Outcomes after Hepatocellular Carcinoma Resection: A Multicenter Retrospective Study - (https://karger.com/lic/article/doi/10.1159/000540858/912087/Impact-of-Diabetes-Mellitus-and-Obesity)

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Source-Eurekalert

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